A Look at the New FIAT 124 Spider

The FIAT 124 Spider is a killer part of the FIAT lineup. In common with the many FIAT 500 variants, it’s compact size and classic look pay homage to what the brand is all about. Far ahead of its arrival at FIAT of Fresno, a new version of the FIAT 124 has recently been debuted.

The upcoming FIAT Abarth 124 GT is what has everyone talking, especially with its unique new feature.

That feature is a carbon-fiber hard top. It’s an unexpected but welcome departure from the traditional cloth drop-top found on the current FIAT 124 Spider. Unexpected because a hardtop convertible presents engineering and weight challenges that a lighter — and inherently more flexible — cloth top would not present, so the configuration is much rarer.

The engineering specs are still somewhat under wraps, but the company promises a top that will be just as easy to remove and deploy as its cloth counterpart. The weight is neatly sidestepped by the use of carbon fiber, which gives many of the advantages of traditional composite body panels, but adds strength and lighter weight. The hard top weighs only 35 pounds, and it includes both a liner and a rear-window defroster. Further new features include lighter wheels and the option to add a matte-black hood.

Along with these new elements, the FIAT 124 Spider offers the streamlined performance you’ve come to expect from this brand. Under the hood, you’ll find the 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo engine, which delivers 164 horsepower. It comes paired to a six-speed manual transmission.

The on-sale date for this car is still unknown, but we’re already looking forward to featuring it at our Fresno FIAT showroom. To find out more — or to drive the already-available FIAT 124 spider and FIAT 500 models — visit FIAT of Fresno at 6150 N Blackstone Ave today.